Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! ..... She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.
He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept payment for a kindness."

He said ......... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room.. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ......

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."

There's a saying which goes something like this:

Bread cast on the water comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about? 

Why do I always have expenses that don’t fit into my budget?

Budgeting has negative connotations, but it can do wonders for your overall financial picture and it takes very little effort to create and maintain a budget. Think of a budget as simply a tool for organizing cash flows. You are, in essence, a CEO on a smaller scale who is taking steps to ensure your company's (or family's) cash flow is monitored each month. In this article, we'll cover five of the most commonly asked questions with regards to budgeting, and show you how it really is possible to save money, pay off debt and still enjoy life.

One reason why some people stop using a budget is because there are many expenses that don't seem to have a place in their budget. This is partly to be expected, and is easy to fix. Any good budget will have a "miscellaneous" category for all disparate expenses that come up in a given month or year. A target budget for miscellaneous expenses can be made by simply looking over purchases made over a few months time and calculating a simple average. What came up that had to be fixed, bought or borrowed? Would you be able to include those surprises in any of your other categories? If not, then add these miscellaneous costs to your budget to cover for the rest of the year.

The point is to decide which costs are fixed (not negotiable and must be paid each month) versus variable (which fluctuate depending on the month or your mood). Your rent, for example is fixed. Your gym membership, however fixed the rate is, can still be cut if you choose to quit, and is therefore variable. Once you figure out if the cost is fixed or variable, you've won half the battle to budgeting.

Sometimes the answer is a simple as re-evaluating your original budget for any missing categories or places where you might have underestimated how much should be budgeted. Gifts and travel should have their place in your budget, and entertainment expenses should include eating out and small impulse buys like magazines and snacks. Otherwise you'll always find yourself with expenses that don't have a home in your budget, and this could discourage you from sticking with the process. Over time you'll find that your budget more closely reflects your spending patterns, so long as you are honest with yourself about where the money goes.

Are you and your partner financially compatible?

When we meet a new partner, we chat with our friends about physical, emotional and spiritual compatibility.  But have you ever thought about financial compatibility? To some this may sound a little crass and I am sure to everyone else not very romantic.

No longer is it the responsibility of one spouse to look after the finances of a couple, instead the responsibility is shared by both partners. Therefore, as a couple becomes more serious, issues of financial compatibility will creep in to the relationship.

Understanding your partner’s financial personality is crucial if you want to make a future together.

Financial Compatibility Quiz

As your relationship develops, you and your partner should complete this quiz adapted from Suze Orman’s Book “The Courage to Be Rich”.

Circle the statement that best describes your partner in each of these five categories:

A: Invites you to dinner, chooses the restaurant and then complains about the prices on the menu.
B: Expresses material longings for things such as vacations, jewelry, etc. far beyond his or her budget.
C: Constantly buys and sell stocks for the thrill of it, rather than as carefully considered economic moves.
D: Seems to regard his/her parents or others as a source of income.
E: Is saving the maximum allowed by law in retirement accounts and monitors all these investments to make sure they are performing to the best of their ability.

A: Complains about child support obligations.
B: Tries to impress your friends by bragging about money.
C: Prefers to take vacations in places where there is gambling.
D: Has a messy wallet, or a wallet full of maxed-out credit cards but absolutely no cash.
E: Never buys an item to impress others and never brags about money.

A: Talks about using his/her business expense account for personal items.
B: Cannot pay off credit card bills at the end of every month.
C: Cannot get up and walk away from a gambling table, even if losing badly.
D: Spends money on a new pair of expensive shoes, even though other bills are overdue.
E: Loves to talk about finances and is open to teaching you.

A: Seems uncomfortable using the pronoun “we”.
B: Can never go into a store without buying an item whether he/she needs it or not.
C: Is constantly baffled where the paycheck went.
D: Receives calls from bill collectors.
E: Is charitable and generous and does not define him/herself by how much is in the bank account.

A: Would never put loose change into a donation box after making a purchase.
B: Gives you unusually expensive gifts that you know he/she can’t afford.
C: Is constantly placing bets, be it on a backgammon game or an office pool.
D: Avoids talking about money and acts like everything is just fine when you suspect it isn’t.
E: Pays all the bills on time and rarely carries a balance on credit cards.

Now for the score: count how many of each letter you have circled and record the number below.

A____
B____
C____
D____
E____

The letter with the largest number reveals your partner’s primary money traits:

A = Penny pincher
B = Spendthrift
C = Gambler
D = Financial wreck
E = Financial catch

What to do now?

Financial problems are one of the top reasons for divorce; so you want to start the conversation about money with your partner early. If you are not on the same page, you need to find some common ground that will allow you to create a stable financial future together. This will involve ironing out your financial differences but take the advice of Suze Ormond: “Be patient. If you are financial opposites you are not going to resolve your differences in one conversation.”